Over past decades, the notion of policy advice in technology assessment (TA) has widened, going beyond traditional advice in the form of expert opinions by adding a broad range of brokerage activities. Concomitantly, the roles of scientific policy advisors have diversified.Based on an empirical study of advisory practices at the Institute of Technology Assessment (ITA) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, we ask which advisory roles TA practitioners adopt. Our study shows that practitioners take up multiple roles: the decisionist advisor, the deliberative practitioner, the governance facilitator, the engaged academic, and the agenda-setter. These roles vary, inter alia, in the dominant modes of policy advice and the aspired function in politics and society and correlate with specific project and advisory constellations but also with paradigmatic beliefs of TA practitioners. Our analysis further exemplifies how these roles differ in a) the reference to and interpretation of core principles such as scientificity, neutrality and relevance and b) their strategies of managing the boundary between science and politics. Thus, the article goes beyond the mere statement “TA has politics” by illustrating how the politics of TA manifests in distinct ways in different roles of TA practitioners in policy advice.

Abstract:A central claim of sustainable development is the far-reaching use of renewable forms of energy. This article focuses on the fact that solar water heaters are much more popular in Austria than in most other European countries. The enormous success of solar heaters in the 1990s is explained by two specific social phenomena that only can be observed in Austria: first, by a self-construction movement, consisting of single do-it-yourself groups started in the early 1980s that has spread throughout Austria. A major aspect of this movement was a comprehensive diffusion strategy that made it easy for nearly everyone to get a solar water system. Second, an atypical group of adopters were responsible for the unexpected dissemination success. Most of these early adopters were households in rural regions, interested in solar heaters due to a feature that already played a central role in the very beginning of this technology - more personal comfort. The close connection between the self-construction movement and early users enabled ongoing technical improvements of the system, which were adopted by commercial producers and installation companies.

A number of concepts address safety-relevant issues of innovative materials and products. The Safe-by-Design (SbD) concept is one of these, and aims to take account of these safety issues early on and during the entire product development process. The nano-specific concepts of SbD are intended to address prevailing uncertainties about potential risks to the environment and human health at the beginning stages in the development of new nanomaterials and products. The basic assumption of the SbD concept is that risks can be reduced through the choice of materials, products, tools and technologies, making them as safe as possible. Particular attention is paid to the product development stage, when it is still possible to intervene to control the selection of these factors. In line with the precautionary principle, the early integration of safety in the innovation process is generally seen as desirable.

-> The decarbonisation of the energy system calls for new ways of generating and consuming energy as well as new forms of relations between energy producers and consumers.-> It is important to understand the complexity of factors influencing the effectiveness and success of smart grid initiatives targeted at small consumers across Europe.-> It is equally important to assess the impact local solutions have on the whole energy system before applying them widely at regional or national level.Author: Michael Ornetzeder

-> Traffic congestion costs the EU over €80 billion annually.-> All major European cities face the challenge of reducing congestion, pollution and accidents in the years to come.-> Currently, there is no single consistent mobility pricing scheme in Austria. Various approaches for different transport modes co-exist.-> Mobility behaviour can be governed sustainably by optimising pricing patterns for all modes of transport and directing them towards common goals.Authors: Tanja Sinozic, Stefanie Peer, Mahshid Sotoudeh, Niklas Gudowsky